Alabama House approves controversial anti-riot legislation
The Alabama House of Representatives approved legislation Tuesday that would create a new definition of a riot and provide tougher penalties for people who participate in one. Republicans supporting the bill said it is needed to quell violent protests that have caused injuries and property damage. But critics argued that it would have a chilling effect on protests and that a loose definition of rioting could allow an officer to make arrests based on presumptions — and prejudices — about the people involved. Legislators voted 75-27 for the bill that now moves to the Alabama Senate. Rep. Allen Treadaway, a retired Birmingham assistant police chief, proposed the bill after a summer protest turned violent in Birmingham in the wake of George Floyd’s killing by police in Minneapolis. “What I observed then was very disturbing to many of us who watched these protests across the country play out. What I saw was individuals coming into these cities, planting incendiary devices, gasoline, sledgehammers, and bricks,” said Treadaway, a Republican from Morris. The bill, as approved by the House, defines a riot as “the assemblage of five or more persons engaging in conduct which creates an immediate danger of and/or results in damage to property or injury to persons.” Attending such a gathering after an order from police to disperse would be a misdemeanor punishable by a mandatory 30 days in jail. Several lawmakers who are Black expressed concern that the bill’s definition of a riot is subjective. They said an officer could make arrests based on his or her presumptions about the people involved. “The definition doesn’t require you to do anything. The perception of the person is in the eye of the beholder,” said Rep. Chris England, a Democrat from Tuscaloosa. Rep. A.J. McCampbell, a Democratic lawmaker from Gallion, said a police officer could look at a group of young Black men and “subjectively say they are looking like they are going to cause a riot.” McCampbell, a former police officer, referenced instances both past and recent where Black people were treated differently by police. He wore a shirt with a photo of civil rights protesters being attacked by police in 1965 in Selma. He described a recent video from New Jersey that showed a Black teen being handcuffed after a mall fight with a white youth, who was directed to sit down on a couch. “And you tell me I don’t have reason to be worried about a riot bill. Laws, if they are applied justly and equitably, are the best thing that we can have. But when you are born Black, that equality fails to be something that you can expect,” McCampbell said. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Alabama House delays vote on riot legislation
The Alabama House of Representatives on Wednesday night delayed a vote on legislation that would create a new definition of riot and increase the penalties for participating in one. Republican Rep. Allen Treadaway, noting the late hour and the number of lawmakers who wanted to speak on the bill, asked to carry the bill over to the call of the chair. It was not immediately clear when it would be back for a vote. The measure is expected to spark a filibuster by House Democrats. Republicans supporting the bill said it is needed to combat violent protests that cause injuries and property damage. But critics argued it would have a chilling effect on protests and that the definition of riot could allow an officer to make arrests based on presumptions, and prejudices, about the people involved. The bill, as amended by the House Judiciary Committee, defines a riot as, “the assemblage of five or more persons engaging in conduct which creates an immediate danger of and/or results in damage to property or injury to persons.” Attending such a gathering after an order from police to disperse would be a misdemeanor punishable by a mandatory 30 days in jail. Treadaway, a retired Birmingham assistant police chief, proposed the bill after a summer protest in Birmingham in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis. The protest turned destructive. “Buildings were burning. Stores were being looted,” Treadaway, a Republican from Morris, told the committee last week. During the committee vote last week, several lawmakers who are Black expressed concern that the bill’s definition of a riot is subjective. Rep. Merika Coleman said her 21-year-old son, a college student and football player, is “one of the sweetest people you will ever meet.” But she said some people make assumptions when they see a group of young Black men. “They make an assumption about who they are, and they make an assumption about what they are about to do,” said Coleman, a Democrat from Pleasant Grove. A federal judge blocked a similar Florida statute from taking effect. The American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama has said it would seek a similar injunction in that state if the bill were to become law. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Alabama riot bill heads under criticism toward a House vote
A divided committee on Wednesday advanced legislation that would mandate jail time for participating in a riot which the bill defines as a gathering that creates a danger of injuries and property damage Republicans supporting the bill said it is needed to combat violent protests that cause injuries and property damage. But critics said the legislation’s definition of riot is vague and would allow an officer to make arrests based on presumptions about the people in the demonstration. The House Judiciary approved the bill on a 10-4 vote. It now moves to the Alabama House of Representatives. Republican Rep. Allen Treadaway, a retired Birmingham assistant police chief, proposed the bill after a summer protest in Birmingham in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis. The protest turned destructive and led to multiple businesses being burned and damaged. “Buildings were burning. Stores were being looted. Pawnshops were being looted for weapons,” Treadaway, a Republican from Morris, told the committee. The former assistant police chief said he believed the local chapter of Black Lives Matter had planned a peaceful protest, but that it was “hijacked” by organized people who wanted violence. Several lawmakers who are Black expressed concern that the bill’s definition of a riot is subjective. They said an officer could make arrests based on his or her presumptions about the people involved. The bill, after it was amended by the committee, defines riot as, “the assemblage of five or more persons engaging in conduct which creates an immediate danger of and/or results in damage to property or injury to persons.” Attending such a gathering after an order from police to disperse would be a misdemeanor punishable by a mandatory 30 days in jail. The bill also would require a mandatory 24-hour hold without bail for anyone who is arrested for rioting. Rep. Merika Coleman, said her 21-year-old son, a college student and football player, is “one of the sweetest people you will ever meet.” But she said some people make assumptions when they see a group of young Black men. “They make an assumption about who they are, and they make an assumption about what they are about to do,” said Coleman, a Democrat from Pleasant Grove. “How do we make sure bad actors don’t use this provision in the law disproportionately against communities of color who they make an assumption are thugs, criminals because of their perception of what a thug and criminal looks like.” Rep. Chris England said the proposal allows a law enforcement officer to make arrests based on presumptions. “It appears to me the definition of riot and legitimate political discourse appears to be who is participating,” England said, adding that some people get the benefit of the doubt while others carry a presumption. “People who look like me carry presumption. People who don’t look like me carry the benefit of the doubt,” England, a Democrat from Tuscaloosa, said. Treadaway responded that he didn’t think they could reach a “perfect definition” but “you have to put trust in the law enforcement officers and in the court system.” “It was pretty clear to law enforcement what happened in Birmingham was rioters, looters, and criminals,” Treadaway said. A federal judge blocked a similar Florida statute from taking effect. The American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama has said it would seek a similar injunction in Alabama if the bill were to become law. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Derek Chauvin pleads guilty to federal charge in George Floyd’s death
Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin pleaded guilty Wednesday to a federal charge of violating George Floyd’s civil rights, admitting for the first time that he kept his knee on Floyd’s neck — even after he became unresponsive — resulting in the Black man’s death. Chauvin, who is white, was convicted this spring of state murder and manslaughter charges in Floyd’s May 25, 2020, death, and was sentenced to 22 1/2 years. In his federal plea Wednesday, Chauvin admitted he willfully deprived Floyd of his right to be free from unreasonable seizure, including unreasonable force by a police officer, by kneeling on Floyd’s neck even though he was handcuffed and not resisting. A second federal count in Floyd’s death was dismissed, but Chauvin pleaded guilty to another count in an unrelated 2017 case. Chauvin appeared in person for the change of plea hearing in an orange short-sleeve prison shirt and was led into and out of the court in handcuffs. He said “Guilty, your honor” to confirm his pleas, and acknowledged that he committed the acts alleged. Chauvin could have faced life in prison on the federal count, one possible incentive for him to avoid trial. Under the plea agreement, both sides agreed Chauvin should face a sentence ranging from 20 to 25 years, with prosecutors saying they would seek 25. The final sentence will be up to U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson, but Chauvin is likely to face more time behind bars than he would on the state charges alone. With good behavior, Chauvin’s state sentence would have amounted to 15 years behind bars before he became eligible for parole. A federal sentence would run at the same time, and good behavior also can reduce time — but inmates typically serve about 85% of their sentences. That means if Chauvin gets the 25 years prosecutors want, he would likely spend 21 years and three months in prison — or roughly six years longer behind bars than his state sentence alone. Three other former officers — Thomas Lane, J. Kueng, and Tou Thao — were indicted on federal charges alongside Chauvin. Floyd’s arrest and death, which a bystander captured on cellphone video, sparked mass protests nationwide calling for an end to racial inequality and police mistreatment of Black people. Chauvin also pleaded guilty to violating the rights of a 14-year-old boy during a 2017 arrest in which he held the boy by the throat, hit him in the head with a flashlight, and held his knee on the boy’s neck and upper back while he was prone, handcuffed and not resisting. That was one of several cases mentioned in state court filings that prosecutors said showed Chauvin used neck or head and upper body restraints seven times dating back to 2014, including four times state prosecutors said they went beyond the point force was needed. Several members of Floyd’s family were present Wednesday, as was the teenager in the 2017 arrest. As they left the courtroom, Floyd’s brother Philonise said to the teen: “It’s a good day for justice.” Nine people came to support Chauvin, including family members. He waved and smiled at them as he entered and left the courtroom. George Floyd’s nephew, Brandon Williams, afterward called Chauvin a “monster” who should have been arrested in 2017. “Had he been held accountable for what he did in 2017 to that minor, George Floyd would still be here,” Williams said. “Today he had a chance to blow kisses and give air hugs to his family. We can’t do that.” An attorney for Floyd’s family, Jeff Storms, said they planned to head to Minneapolis later Wednesday to support the family of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man who was fatally shot in a traffic stop during Chauvin’s state trial. The police officer in that case, Kim Potter, is on trial on manslaughter charges. To bring federal charges in deaths involving police, prosecutors must believe an officer acted under the “color of law,” or government authority, and willfully deprived someone of their constitutional rights. It’s a high legal standard, and an accident, bad judgment, or negligence aren’t enough. Prosecutors have to prove the officer knew what he was doing was wrong in that moment but did it anyway. Chauvin admitted that he knew what he did to Floyd was wrong and he had a “callous and wanton disregard” for Floyd’s life, the plea agreement said. It also said Chauvin “was aware that Mr. Floyd not only stopped resisting, but also stopped talking, stopped moving, stopped breathing, and lost consciousness and a pulse.” According to evidence in the state case against Chauvin, Kueng and Lane helped restrain the 46-year-old Floyd as he was on the ground — Kueng knelt on Floyd’s back and Lane held down Floyd’s legs. Thao held back bystanders and kept them from intervening during the 9 1/2-minute restraint. All four former officers were charged broadly in federal court with depriving Floyd of his rights while acting under government authority. The other three former officers are still expected to go to trial on federal charges in January, and they face state trial on aiding and abetting counts in March. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
William Haupt III: Nancy Pelosi’s home district is a progressive nightmare
“Nancy Pelosi’s district in California has rapidly become one of the worst anywhere in the U.S. when it comes to the homeless and crime. It has gotten so bad, so fast.” – Donald Trump In the 1960s, America’s boomers rebelled against authority and the Vietnam War. They pursued sexual liberation, experimental drugs, communal living, and civil rights. This counterculture lived by the motto “sex, drugs, rock and roll.” In 1967, thousands of hippies and flower children made their way to Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco for what was billed as the “Summer of Love” – and many never left. Haight-Ashbury soon eroded into an enclave for dropouts, addicts, and the homeless. In the late 1970s, the area was targeted for gentrification, and investors began cleaning it up. By 1990, Haight-Ashbury was among San Francisco’s most affluent and expensive neighborhoods. But today, it is home to tent cities with trash-ridden streets ravaged with violent crime, and it is a Mecca for drug users and sellers. Conditions are worse than slums in almost every other U.S. city. How can the most expensive place to live in America also be one of the worst places to live in the U.S.A.? While San Francisco has been the most progressive city in America for years, this liberal utopia has not always been a harbor for addicts, the homeless, criminals, and social derelicts. “It’s an odd thing, but anyone who disappears is said to be seen in San Francisco.” – Oscar Wilde In the 1960s, liberal strategist Phillip Burton saw the potential of growing the Democratic Party by pandering to the hippies, minorities, and gays. With their support, he was elected to the U.S. House in 1964, where he served until his death in 1983. His wife Sala Burton held this seat until 1987. In a special election, Nancy Pelosi seized this coveted progressive prize in 1987 and won’t give it up. With the election of far-left liberal Gov. Jerry Brown in 2010, San Francisco became a progressive paradise. In 2014, Brown financed Prop 57, which helped free thousands of California inmates from prison. Voters also approved Prop 47, which reduced most nonviolent crimes, including theft under $950 to misdemeanors. Both were pushed by Lt Governor Gavin Newsom, San Francisco district attorney George Gascón, the San Francisco Democratic Party, and the Harvey Milk LGBT Club. In 2016, voters approved Prop 64, giving municipalities the power to ban or sell weed. But many cities and counties did not react. A 2011 federal court had ruled that local governments trying to regulate the sale of weed would violate federal law. But it was welcomed by all San Franciscans. By 2019, the deregulation of crime, release of thousands of inmates, legalization of cannabis, and declaring California a sanctuary state enabled new Gov Gavin Newsom, the former mayor of San Francisco, to clone the entire state of California into a progressive twin sister of San Francisco. San Francisco has declared the NRA a “domestic terrorist organization,” banned fast-food joints that include toys in children’s meals, outlawed plastic bags and straws, raised the minimum wage from $9.79 to $15.59 an hour, and refuses to prosecute anyone for nonviolent crimes. While these policies appeal to the far left, they also encourage the homeless and derelicts to venture up north. How bad are things in San Francisco? According to a KGO news report, in 2011, the Bay City spent $157 million on the homeless. By 2016, it was up to $242 million. In the 2021 budget proposal, it is now over $364 million. The consensus estimates the homeless population is at least 17,500. “As mayor of San Francisco, I witnessed its greatest cultural and social transition.” – Gavin Newsom Progressives insist the stark contrast in wealth and poverty is the result of the failure of capitalism to provide for the needy. But while politicians preach “compassion,” their policies have resulted in record-high levels of homelessness, drug addiction, and a rapid increase in violent felonious crime. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the city’s policies have created an “influx of about 450 homeless people a year who migrate to places like the Tenderloin District. This is a sanctuary for people hiding out from the law who do not want the government to know where they are living. In reaction to the George Floyd and Black Lives Matter protests and riots, along with outrage by activists against police, San Francisco elected progressive Chesa Boudin as district attorney of San Francisco in 2020. He was endorsed by Angela Davis, Bernie Sanders, and Ibram X. Kendi. Boudin, the adopted son of radicals Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn, quickly reduced the use of cash bail and restrained the power of the police. He quit prosecuting misdemeanors. He then did the unthinkable and started charging police officers with felonies who used force during arrests. “I will move away from the draconian, tough-on-crime, three-strike super-rhetoric hype.” – Chesa Boudin According to Stop Crime, the Bay City is experiencing a dramatic increase in serious crime under Boudin. Burglaries are up 42%, and homicides have increased 30% compared to the previous year. Motor vehicle thefts have risen by 71%, and arsons have jumped over 35% since he became DA. Recently, a local ABC News reporter witnessed a shoplifter sweeping entire shelves of products into garbage bags inside a Walgreens. He mounted a bike and rode past a security guard out the door. Other retail stores are reporting the same problems in every neighborhood in San Francisco. “This rise in crime is a result of Chesa Boudin’s soft-crime policies.” – Frank Noto, Victim’s Rights It’s been said that “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” All good intentions of Prop 47 and Prop 57 have been undone by Chesa Boudin’s leftist extremism, pandering to criminals, and punishing the police for doing their job. What’s happening in San Francisco is proof of how quickly perjured progressive idealism can turn an economically prosperous city into a living hell on earth. It is hard
Judge Randy Jinks booted for racist, inappropriate behavior
A judge who oversees elections in an Alabama county was removed from office after being accused of racist, sexually inappropriate behavior that included demeaning comments about women and saying George Floyd “got what he deserved” when an officer in Minnesota murdered him. Talladega County Probate Judge Randy Jinks, 65, was ousted in a unanimous order filed Friday by the nine-member Alabama Court of the Judiciary. Following a trial, the panel found that he violated five judicial ethics rules including failing to uphold the integrity and independence of the court system. A former business owner who served as chairman of the county Republican executive committee, Jinks denied most of the claims, blamed workers for misinterpreting jokes, and accused employees of eavesdropping, court records showed. Jinks, who doesn’t have a law license, was first elected in 2018 and took office the following year. His conduct was the subject of a complaint filed in March that accused him of watching and sharing sexually inappropriate videos and making comments about the appearance and anatomy of women. Jinks also mouthed the n-word when referring to Black people, including during Black Lives Matter demonstrations, and told a deputy clerk that Black people get benefits and welfare “because of the color of their skin” that don’t go to white people, the complaint said. Jinks made multiple racist comments after Minneapolis police killed Floyd, a Black man whose death became a rallying point for protests nationally, including calling the victim “just another thug” and saying “he pretty much got what he deserved,” the complaint said. The court found that after Jinks saw a new automobile purchased by the only Black employee in the probate office, he remarked: “I seen that car. I can’t even — I’m the judge and I can’t even afford a Mercedes. What you doing, selling drugs?” Jinks also improperly tried to help a woman get an early release from a prison sentence imposed in a neighboring county, the court found. Jinks denied the allegations, and his lawyer released a statement to media outlets saying his remarks were taken “completely out of context” and viewed in a way to make Jinks look as bad as possible. The ruling can be appealed to the Alabama Supreme Court. Located east of Birmingham, Talladega County has about 80,000 residents. Jinks’ duties under state law included supervising elections in the county, and he also handled probate matters including wills. Probate judges under state law are not required to be attorneys. Jinks was elected to the Talladega County Commission in 1986 and worked six years on the staff of former Rep. Bob Riley, who later served two terms as Alabama governor. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Alabama trying to revive lawsuit over Confederate monument
The Alabama attorney general’s office is trying to revive its lawsuit over the removal of a Confederate monument from outside the county courthouse in the city of Huntsville. The state claimed in court documents that a judge shouldn’t have dismissed the suit just because someone anonymously paid a $25,000 fine that was owed by Madison County for removing the statue nearly a year ago, WHNT-TV reported. Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office contends the county should be required to pay the penalty itself. A judge has scheduled a hearing for Friday afternoon on the state’s bid to reinstate the lawsuit. The state sued the county last year seeking a $25,000 penalty that’s mandated under a state law that makes it illegal to remove or alter monuments. Legislators passed the law in 2017 amid a national movement to take down memorials honoring the Confederacy. Madison County asked a judge to end the state’s suit after someone deposited $25,000 into a court account to pay the fine on Aug. 27. The county says the money isn’t from taxpayers or Madison County, but it hasn’t said where the funding came from. Circuit Judge Claude Hundley dismissed the suit, but the state argues it needs to know who paid the fine to end the case. It also says the judge still needs to rule on its claim that Madison County broke the law when it moved the monument. Erected in 1905 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the monument went up outside the Madison County Courthouse at a time when Confederate descendants were trying to portray the South’s cause in the Civil War as noble rather than linked to slavery. The statue was moved to a city-owned cemetery. Demonstrators sought the removal of the Huntsville statue and other numerous Confederate statues around the nation last year amid nationwide protests against racial injustice following the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota. Those efforts to take down statues honoring Southern figures from the Civil War continued Wednesday as work crews hoisted an enormous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee off its giant pedestal in Virginia’s capital city of Richmond, cheered on by a crowd. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Senate Democrats unfazed by GOP police funding proposal
Sometimes, lawmakers in Congress concoct amendments that are so politically devastating to the rival party that they provoke terror, fury, or grudging admiration. Tuesday night, a proposal by Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville did not do that. Instead, the Alabama freshman’s attempt to embarrass Democrats on the issue of defunding the police induced an animated Sen. Cory Booker to sarcastically thank Tuberville for a political “gift.” Growing more theatrical and warming to his task as he spoke, the New Jersey Democrat said he wanted to “walk over there and hug my colleague” but wouldn’t in deference to the Senate’s tradition of decorum. Tuberville began the two-minute exchange by offering an amendment Tuesday evening to Democrats’ $3.5 trillion budget resolution outlining their party’s and President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda. The non-binding language suggested cutting federal aid to municipalities that defund the police. “Local leaders across the country have decided the woke thing to do is cancel their city’s police force,” said Tuberville, a former college football coach in his first seven months in Congress. “My amendment is pretty simple. If your city council wants to defund their police, don’t expect the federal government to make up the difference.” In case his point was missed, Tuberville said opposing his amendment was a vote against “the men and women in blue.” Defunding the police became a progressive battle cry in a year of nationwide protests against racial injustice over the death of George Floyd and other black Americans killed by law enforcement. The idea has been rejected by all but the most left-leaning congressional Democrats, but Republicans frequently accuse them of backing proposals to gut police budgets anyway. “Thank God,” responded Booker, himself a former college tight end but with years as a mayor, senator, and unsuccessful presidential contender. Booker said Tuberville has “given us the gift that finally, once and for all, we can put to bed the scurrilous accusations that somebody in this great esteemed body would want to defund the police.” Thumping his desk with his fist, he said Tuberville’s amendment should also state that every senator also “believes in God, country, and apple pie.” Tuberville’s amendment passed 99-0 as Democrats leapt at a chance to cast a vote they could use to argue they’re against police defunding. Minutes earlier, Booker predicted witheringly that Tuberville’s proposal would ensure there would be no more Republican ads attacking Democrats on the issue. If there was any confusion on that point, though, the office of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., issued a statement later clearing things up. “Democrats are still the party of defunding the police,” it said. Despite the Republican talking points, defunding the police doesn’t necessarily mean gutting police budgets. Supporters say it isn’t about eliminating police departments or stripping agencies of all of their money and instead say it is time for the country to address systemic problems in policing and spend more on what communities across the U.S. need, like housing and education. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Joe Biden targets law-breaking gun dealers in anti-crime plan
President Joe Biden announced new efforts Wednesday to stem a rising national tide of violent crime, declaring the federal government is “taking on the bad actors doing bad things to our communities.” But questions persist about how effective the efforts can be in what could be a turbulent summer. Crime rates have risen after plummeting during the initial months of the coronavirus pandemic, creating economic hardship and anxiety. Biden’s plan focuses on providing money to cities that need more police, offering community support, and most of all cracking down on gun violence and those supplying illegal firearms. “These merchants of death are breaking the law for profit,” Biden said. “If you willfully sell a gun to someone who’s prohibited, my message to you is this: We’ll find you, and we’ll seek your license to sell guns. We’ll make sure you can’t sell death and mayhem on our streets.” But there are also tricky politics at play, and Biden’s plan shows how few options the Democratic president has on the issue. The steps he outlined are aimed at going hard after gun dealers who break federal law and establishing strike forces in several cities to help stop weapons trafficking. He also said he would seek more money for the agency that tracks the nation’s guns. But the rest of his new strategy boils down mostly to suggestions for beleaguered localities. He’s encouraging cities to invest some of their COVID-19 relief funds into policing and pushing alternative crime reduction steps such as increased community support and summer jobs for teenagers — often both targets and perpetrators of violence. But it’s voluntary. The president has been clear that he is opposed to the “defund the police” movement, which has been effectively used against other Democrats to cast them as anti-law enforcement. “This is not a time to turn our backs on law enforcement,” said Biden, who noted that “crime historically rises during the summer, and as we emerge from this pandemic, the traditional summer spike may be even more pronounced than it usually would be.” But he’s also is trying to boost progressives’ efforts to reform policing, following a year of demonstrations and public anguish sparked by the killing by police of George Floyd and other Black people across the country. While combating crime and overhauling the police don’t have to be at odds, the two efforts are increasingly billed that way. Biden will try to do both at once. But Republicans quickly tried to portray his measures as government overreach and linked them to efforts to rein in policing. “I think a lot of it ties back to this whole ‘defund the police’ movement and some of the disruption we had in civil society last year,” Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts said on Fox News. “And I think that’s part of when you start undermining that basic foundation, you start breaking apart the bonds that hold us together, and that’s why you see an increase in crime.” Biden announced a “zero tolerance” policy that would give no leeway to gun dealers who fail to comply with federal law — their licenses to sell would be revoked on a first offense. The president has already announced a half-dozen executive actions on gun control, including going after “ghost guns,” homemade firearms that lack serial numbers for tracking and often are purchased without background checks. A number of anti-crime and gun safety groups, including the Brady Campaign and Everytown for Gun Safety, applauded the administration’s efforts. “The president is helping start a much-needed conversation about reducing violent crime. A greater investment in community interventions will help take a bite out of violent crime,” said Paul DelPonte, head of the National Crime Prevention Council. “Strategies that increase public engagement in public safety are proven crime stoppers. Putting more police officers who are trained and certified in crime prevention on the streets of our communities makes sense.” Legislation to expand background checks has so far stalled in the Senate after the House passed it in March, even though Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed then that the Senate would hold a vote on the bill. Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy has been negotiating for weeks with individual Republicans to see if there is legislation that could win enough votes for passage. One option is to narrow the scope of the House bill and expand background checks only to commercial sales like gun shows. Most Republicans oppose regulating private sales between individuals, as the House bill would do, but some have said they would support tougher regulation of gun shows. Biden will seek increased transparency on gun data and better coordination among states, and he will push Congress for more money for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the agency responsible for enforcing federal gun laws and regulating gun dealers. The Justice Department is also launching strike forces in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., to help take down illegal gun traffickers. Police officials have said they are struggling with increasing crime and continued tensions between police and communities; some say their calls for support aren’t answered as they take the blame for the spike. Biden noted that $350 billion of the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package can be used by cities to hire law enforcement officers, pay overtime, prosecute gun traffickers and invest in technology to make law enforcement more efficient. While crime is rising — homicides and shootings are up from the same period last year in Chicago; Los Angeles; Minneapolis; Portland, Oregon; Baltimore; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Houston — violent crime overall remains lower than it was a decade ago or even five years ago. Most violent crimes plummeted during the first six months of the coronavirus pandemic, as people stayed indoors and away from others, then started creeping up last summer. It all comes against the backdrop of the national debate on policing and racism — and as a police reform bill is being crafted in Congress. As a senator, Biden wrote several major anti-crime packages,
Congress approves bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday; Mo Brooks and Mike Rogers voted against
The United States will soon have a new federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the nation. The House voted 415-14 Wednesday to make Juneteenth, or June 19th, the 12th federal holiday. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden’s desk, and he is expected to sign it into law. Juneteenth commemorates the day the last enslaved African Americans learned they were free. Confederate soldiers surrendered in April 1865, but word didn’t reach the last enslaved Black people until June 19, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to Galveston, Texas. That was also about 2 1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in the Southern states. It’s the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was created in 1983. “Our federal holidays are purposely few in number and recognize the most important milestones,” said Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y. “I cannot think of a more important milestone to commemorate than the end of slavery in the United States.” Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, speaking next to a large poster of a Black man whose back bore massive scarring from being whipped, said she would be in Galveston this Saturday to celebrate along with Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas. “Can you imagine?” said the rather short Jackson Lee. “I will be standing maybe taller than Sen. Cornyn; forgive me for that because it will be such an elevation of joy.” The Senate passed the bill a day earlier under a unanimous consent agreement that expedites the process for considering legislation. It takes just one senator’s objection to block such agreements. “Please, let us do as the Senate. Vote unanimously for passage,” Rep. David Scott, D-Ga., pleaded with his colleagues. The vote comes as lawmakers struggle to overcome divisions on police reform legislation following the killing of George Floyd by police and as Republican state legislators push what experts say is an unprecedented number of bills aimed at restricting access to the ballot box. While Republicans say the goal is to prevent voter fraud, Democrats contend that the measures are aimed at undermining minority voting rights. Several members of the Congressional Black Caucus took to the floor to speak in favor of the bill. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J., said she viewed Juneteenth as a commemoration rather than a celebration because it represented something that was delayed in happening. “It also reminds me of what we don’t have today,” she said. “And that is full access to justice, freedom, and equality. All these are often in short supply as it relates to the Black community.” The bill was sponsored by Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., and had 60 co-sponsors. Democratic leaders moved quickly to bring the bill to the House floor after the Senate’s vote the day before. Some Republican lawmakers opposed the effort. Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., said creating the federal holiday was an effort to celebrate “identity politics.” “Since I believe in treating everyone equally, regardless of race, and that we should be focused on what unites us rather than our differences, I will vote no,” he said in a press release. The vast majority of states recognize Juneteenth as a holiday or have an official observance of the day, and most states hold celebrations. Juneteenth is a paid holiday for state employees in Texas, New York, Virginia, and Washington. Under the legislation, the federal holiday would be known as Juneteenth National Independence Day. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., said that he would vote for the bill and that he supported the establishment of a federal holiday, but he was upset that the name of the holiday included the word “independence” rather than “emancipation.” “Why would the Democrats want to politicize this by co-opting the name of our sacred holiday of Independence Day?” Higgins asked. Rep. Brenda Lawrence, D-Mich., replied, “I want to say to my white colleagues on the other side: Getting your independence from being enslaved in a country is different from a country getting independence to rule themselves.” She added: “We have a responsibility to teach every generation of Black and white Americans the pride of a people who have survived, endured, and succeeded in these United States of America despite slavery.” The 14 House Republicans who voted against the bill were Andy Biggs of Arizona, Mo Brooks of Alabama, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Ronny Jackson of Texas, Doug LaMalfa of California, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Tom McClintock of California, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Mike Rogers of Alabama, Rosendale of Montana, Chip Roy of Texas, and Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin.
Montgomery police chief resigns; mayor says change needed
Montgomery Police Chief Ernest Finley has resigned after more than six years, with the mayor saying change was needed. The departure of Finley, who came to Alabama’s capital after nearly three decades with the Atlanta Police Department, was announced by Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed on Tuesday, news outlets reported. Montgomery has fared better than other cities its size as rates of violent crime rise nationwide, Reed said, and it didn’t suffer damage during civil unrest last year following the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota. Still, he said, “the situation and circumstances” have changed since Finley began in 2015. “I feel it is in the best interest of the men and women of the Montgomery Police Department, as well as the residents of Montgomery, to make a change in leadership,” Reed said in a statement. Finley was hired before Reed took office in the city of about 200,000. He has not commented publicly on his departure. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
For Black Voters Matter, the goal is greater community power
LaTosha Brown opened with a song. Speaking about voting rights one recent spring day in Selma, Alabama, the Black activist delivered the civil rights anthem “Keep Your Eyes on the Prize” in a voice showcasing her background as a jazz singer. She told her audience, through music, that the fight for equal access to the ballot box was as urgent as ever. The song drew cheers from a few dozen listeners, young and old, who had gathered before the brown-bricked African Methodist Episcopal church in a city known for its poverty as much as for its troubled racial past. For Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter, the song served to introduce a question. “Close your eyes,” she said. “What would America look like without racism?” “How will we ever create what we’re not even envisioning? There was nothing that was brought into the real world that was not first envisioned.” A year after the police killing of George Floyd galvanized public attention to racial injustices, amid a barrage of restrictive voting laws being passed by state legislatures, Black Voters Matter is redoubling its march toward its North Star: increasing the political power of Black communities. Like many groups that serve predominantly Black communities, the organization was flooded with donations after Floyd’s death. A year later, the impact is visible: The group says it gave $10 million to 600 community-based groups in 15 states, mostly in the South, who, among other things, registered voters, held phone banks, sent millions of text messages, and canvassed communities reminding people to vote. Those efforts are widely credited with helping fuel Black voter turnout in Georgia, which, in part, led to Democrats scoring victories in the presidential and U.S. Senate races that gave them control of both houses of Congress and helped President Joe Biden enact his legislative agenda. Now, in the face of new restrictions on voting in areas heavily populated by people of color, new challenges are emerging. Brown, the co-founder of Black Voters Matter, estimates that Black Voters Matter, which received more than $30 million in donations last year, has about 90,000 unique donors. Most of its donations were small gifts from ordinary Americans. The group’s operations are run through two channels. One is the Black Voters Matters Fund, a social welfare organization that can engage in political activity, like lobbying. The other is the Black Voters Matters Capacity Building Institute, a nonprofit that funds voter education, registrations, and other programs to expand access to voting. (Contributions to the Capacity Building Institute are tax-deductible; donations to the Fund are not). After the racial justice protests, most of the donations flowed into the Capacity Building Institute, which from June 2020 to the end of last year received $18 million — a 414% jump from the sum it collected in 2019, according to Alexis Buchanan Thomas, Black Voters Matter’s development director, though the increase was driven in part by the 2020 elections. Brown says $3 million earmarked for advocacy work was distributed to several dozen community-based groups. An additional $7 million was given to help local organizations run their own operations and conduct voter engagement work, including voter registrations. About $6 million was also used to support Black Voters Matter’s own get-out-the-vote activities and provide local organizations with vans for transportation, graphics support, and radio advertising, among other needs. The main goal for Black Voters Matter, Brown says, has been to strengthen these organizations for the long run. The roots of Black Voters Matter date to 2016, borne of the painful frustration Brown says she and the organization’s other co-founder, Cliff Albright, felt about the “nationalist, racist rhetoric” of former President Donald Trump and a “national discourse that didn’t include Black folks.” In philanthropy circles, Black Voters Matter is what’s called an intermediary — an organization that donors can turn to when they want to fund nonprofits but lack the expertise or connections to do so directly. “The South is a region that is growing tremendously and shifting tremendously. But it’s also, unfortunately, a hotbed for regressive innovation, such as efforts restricting voting rights,” said Jerry Maldonado, the director of the Cities and States program at the Ford Foundation, which, in 2020, donated $1.8 million to the nonprofit. “The South is a region that is growing tremendously and shifting tremendously. But it’s also, unfortunately, a hotbed for regressive innovation, such as efforts restricting voting rights.” Many restrictive voting laws have been passed in Southern states since a 2013 Supreme Court ruling threw out a provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The provision had required officials in jurisdictions with a history of discriminatory practices to receive federal approval before making changes to the voting process. This year, Republican lawmakers in Georgia, Florida, and other states have passed new voting restrictions based largely on unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud by Trump and his allies. Critics argue the new laws mainly serve to suppress minority votes. One Southern state that will always be special to Brown is Alabama. It’s where her grandmother, whom she calls her “soulmate,” was barred from voting for most of her life under Jim Crow laws. And, it’s where she lost a close Democratic primary race in 1998 for a seat on the Alabama State Board of Education by about 200 votes, even though a sheriff found 800 uncounted votes in a safe minutes after her loss was certified. For Brown and Albright, the focus of the work is not only on presidential and state-wide elections but also on local races that often have a more direct impact on communities. This raises concern about the lack of consistency they see in donations to Black Voters Matter. “As we got further and further away from the protest, a lot of organizations, including us, saw those donations going down on a daily basis,” said Albright. “We understand that any given month or any given year, the funding world, or individual donors, might be looking for the next shiny thing. We know that we
